PD-L1 EXPRESSION AND ITS CORRELATION WITH HISTOPATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN COLORECTAL ADENOCARCINOMA
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality; currently, immunotherapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis is showing promise in patients with advanced-stage disease. Objectives: To describe the histopathological characteristics, determine PD-L1 expression levels (using the Combined Positive Score - CPS), and investigate the association between PD-L1 expression and histopathological features in colorectal adenocarcinoma. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 120 colorectal adenocarcinoma specimens surgically resected at Can Tho Oncology Hospital between 2025 and 2026. PD-L1 expression was determined using immunohistochemistry (clone 22C3) and evaluated based on the CPS. Results: Adenocarcinoma NOS (Not Otherwise Specified) accounted for 93.3% of cases. The majority of tumors were at the T3 stage (83.3%). Lymph node metastasis was present in 47.5%. Other findings included lymphovascular invasion (47.5%) and perineural invasion (10.8%). Lowgrade and intermediate-grade tumor budding predominated at 49.2% and 42.5%, respectively. Moderate tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed the highest prevalence (57.5%). The positive rate of PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10) was 69.1%. Statistically significant associations were observed between PD-L1 expression and histological type (p=0.01), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (p<0.001). Conclusion: PD-L1 is commonly expressed in colorectal adenocarcinoma and is closely linked to the tumor immune microenvironment.
Keywords
Colorectal cancer, PD-L1, CPS, immunohistochemistry, histopathology
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